What makes mercury so special?

[Guest guest]

Dear Andy,

Firstly, I'd like to say a 'thank you very, very much' for helping me back to

health and certainly making me avoid a life-time of illness and suffering.

My deepest gratitude to you (and those on this list).

Secondly, is there any way you can explain why mercury has the dubious

distinction of being the ONLY metal able to cause widespread mineral

derangement.

What makes it so different from all the other metals?

Is some part of its chemical structure unique or something else that too

difficult to explain without a basic understanding in chemistry?

It seems unusual to me that it possesses this special characteristic above all

other metals?

Or is it the human body that somehow mistakes it?

Even in extreme illness when someone is not mercury toxic are they likely to

retain normal mineral transport?

Thanks again,

Dean